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It needs an advanced scaffolding company to ensure repair and refurbishment works can be carried out safely at one of our most-loved ancestral homes. ScaffMag reports on how one of the foremost companies in beautiful Devon set about creating the perfect temporary roof for a heavenly Abbey
UP ON THE ROOF
H
artland Abbey is one of the most historically important ancestral homes in North Devon. The beautiful house contains much of national interest with architecture and decorations from medieval times through to Queen Anne, Georgian, Regency and Victorian periods. It houses glorious paintings, Chinese artefacts, porcelain and furniture collected over generations. Built in the 12th century the breathtaking Grade I-listed abbey was the longest-surviving monastery in the country. In 1539 it was gifted by Henry VIII to the Keeper of his Wine Cellar, and today the house remains within the Stucley family. When award-winning Advanced Scaffolding were asked to provide a temporary roof for the works, you can imagine how honoured the team must have felt. In fact, a large amount of new scaffolding materials were purchased to facilitate the contract. Deliveries to the site also had to be strategically managed due to access and space restraints, working to the strictest Covid parameters. And when it came to on-the-job challenges it was not just a question of how to secure the scaffolding into a Grade I-listed building, with minimal damage. Due to the listed building status Advanced were limited as to what methods they could use. The team secured the scaffolding using M16 couplers recessed into the ancient stonework 40mm, securing M16 threaded ring bolts set horizontally, resin bonded into the coupler and fixed in position. Additional sleeve socks were used to minimise resin loss in the stonework voids. When the scaffolding is taken down
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and ties are removed the positions will be recorded before the coupler can be capped and the holes pointed in with lime mortar. Matt Bacon, founder of the company in 1999, takes up the story: “Working together with Heddon Mill Limited, Optima Scaffold Designs LLP, Jonathan Rhind Architects Ltd and PCA Consulting Engineers, we were able to conquer the many challenges this huge project delivered. Due to the sheer scale of the project and design constraints a Ubix Temporary Roofing System was used to span across some 25m of the roof. The roof system was assembled on the ground by the team and then lifted into place with the assistance of KAS Crane Hire. The full roof structure and weatherproof shrinkwrap sheeting was completed in under four days.” The design was altered midway through the build after it was discovered some elevations of the abbey had been extended using a timber frame construction. These areas required sections of beam work. Sixteen-metre spans over fragile lower roof sections were built using 780mm lattice beams, with buttresses and vast kentledge blocks to secure the structure. Historic England granted funds towards vital
